The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 306 He Ran Away (5k)

Du Yuan felt even more embarrassed by these words, and just as she was thinking about how to reply, she heard her friend chuckle again:
"However, I can't give you anything very good right now. Just make do with what you have now."

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan immediately shook her head and laughed:

"The most important thing about a gift is the sentiment behind it. I am already extremely content to receive this sentiment. Why would I care about these other things?"

Her friend fell silent, and the only thing Du Yuan could hear was a soft chuckle.

The laughter then dissipated with the wind. Du Yuan knew that the brief meeting had come to an end, and she chuckled softly before deciding to search for the sword-cleansing stones on these people.

Just as he was about to make a move, his brows suddenly furrowed, and then he looked up at the sky above.

This small world he had landed in was still under his control, but he could clearly sense that a few uninvited guests had arrived—or rather, they had "come" rather than "looked over."

The moment their eyes met, Du Yuan heard a slightly aged voice speak:

"Fellow Daoist, you've killed so many of our juniors and nephews, shouldn't you be satisfied now?"

Du Yuan glanced at the numerous corpses with some surprise, then said:

"Oh? Aren't you angry? These people should be very close to you, right?"

“Of course we are close; my direct disciples and my nephews are all here. But what can we do? People on the mountain will all face this day sooner or later.”

"To put it mildly, it is because you, fellow Daoist, have incurred the enmity of us; but to put it more bluntly, it is because you, fellow Daoist, have acted on behalf of Heaven, making us, the remnants of the past, bear this calamity."

"If it's the former, then naturally we should have a good fight to settle our scores; but if it's the latter, who can we blame? Heaven? Earth? The Great Dao? None of these are right!"

Hearing these words, Du Yuan was somewhat at a loss. Should she say they were heartless and ungrateful, or had they already seen through the fate of the people on the mountain, so that they could remain so indifferent?

This doesn't seem like they were afraid of his high cultivation level and that a fight would result in mutual destruction, so they deliberately said these words.

After all, Du Yuan heard it clearly, and the complexity hidden in their words could not be concealed: there was both regret for the passing of loved ones and acceptance of "what was destined to happen."

"Besides, the one who truly can't let go hasn't come yet. Fellow Daoist, could you allow me to collect her remains later so I can return them to her father?"

Du Yuan looked back at the bronze chariot, where the cold, aloof woman's corpse was still clinging to the chariot.

"When a person dies, the light goes out, and all memories fade away. Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have ensured they were laid to rest. Since you've brought it up, please do so. I won't stop you!"

Upon hearing this, the aged voice continued:
"As for the ancient phoenix carriage, since the Prince of Su did not come, it means he tacitly allows you to handle it yourself, and we will not say anything more."

Hearing this, Du Yuan finally grasped the meaning and picked up the chessboard to ask:

"So, you want to take these things back?"

After a moment of silence, the visitors spoke one after another:
"The Flying Flower River is my natal treasure, refined over many years. As for that Heavenly Star, you may have shattered it, but I will not pursue the matter. However, I will definitely retrieve the Flying Flower River today!"

"Wenquan Mountain is the foundation of my Great Dao's dominance; it must not be yielded!"

As the last words were spoken, Du Yuan glanced several times in the direction from which the sound came—presumably, that was the monkey.

It could even speak! He had almost thought that this guy would only be able to shout the word "kill".

Immediately afterwards, a female voice interrupted:
"My nephew has already been killed by you, fellow Daoist. Do you intend to take away even the most precious treasure of my Su'e Palace? Such behavior is far too greedy!"

Hearing these words, Du Yuan couldn't help but chuckle:
"I thought you were really open-minded and could let go of things, but in the end I realized that what you were able to let go of were just useless things."

They can indeed be described as "open-minded," but this "open-mindedness" isn't true enlightenment; it's merely choosing to let go of things that are "useless."

Whether it's a "useless" object or a person, they're either dead or destroyed anyway, so there's no need to fight to the death with powerful figures over them.

"Isn't this how people in the mountains have always been?" The newcomer's voice carried a hint of melancholy. "How can the past compare to the distant tomorrow? Even the bonds of a thousand years can't withstand the uncertainty of 'longer'?"

"The phrase 'avenging one's wrongdoing' is, for us, a superfluous luxury."

"Only the Great Dao endures through time! What more could we cultivators ask for?"

Is it because I've lived too long and my heart has grown indifferent? Or is it because I think I've achieved enlightenment and no longer regard others as "people" on the same level as myself?

Du Yuan thought of the kitten and his friend. Although it was impolite to discuss a woman's age, he could roughly determine that these two had lived much longer than the group of people in front of him, yet they were certainly not so cold-hearted.

Comparing these two pairs, Du Yuan gently shook her head:
"Have you ever considered that the reason you've been stuck here, neither here nor there, is precisely because you don't consider yourselves 'human beings'?"

"Thinking you've seen through cause and effect and attained enlightenment, you've become indifferent to everything and only care about yourselves. But in reality, you haven't seen through the great path at all; you've clearly only seen yourselves!"

As soon as these words were spoken, almost everyone who came fell silent. Immediately following was an oppressive atmosphere that even Du Yuan could feel from this distance—an atmosphere that filled the entire world!

This situation made Du Yuan burst into laughter:
"So, you all had a vague idea about it too!"

But this oppressive atmosphere lasted only a few breaths before it suddenly dissipated, followed by a question:
"So, fellow Daoist, are you going to let go or not? We are willing to give up other things, but these three important artifacts are just a few extras for you. Why must you completely break ties with us over this?"

After hearing this, Du Yuan smiled and twirled the chessboard in her hand, then slowly said:
"I didn't initially intend to keep this chessboard; I even considered giving it away later."

"Oh? And now?" The woman's voice carried a subtle threat.

Du Yuan completely disregarded the threat and continued speaking to herself:
"Well, my best friend just said he'd make two boxes of chess pieces for me to keep and play with. In that case, I'll naturally keep this chessboard for myself!"

Just then, my friend suddenly said something else:
'Remember to send that carriage to the southwest and ask her to melt it down and make two chess sets for you.'

Huh? Why did you specifically send it to the kitten?

Before Du Yuan could ask any further questions, her friend's voice disappeared again, and someone else started talking.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know that this belongs to my Su'e Palace?"

The woman's tone became noticeably colder.

Du Yuan found it increasingly amusing:

“If I found it elsewhere or obtained it from someone else, as long as you can provide proof, I should naturally return it. After all, a gentleman loves money but acquires it in a proper way. I will never touch what is not mine.”

Du Yuan's voice turned cold, and she angrily rebuked:
"Since you allowed your disciples to use this chessboard to scheme against me, how dare you spout such nonsense now?"

After uttering this curse, Du Yuan raised her hand and flicked the Flying Flower River that wrapped around her like a ribbon, and sneered:
"It's the same logic. You sent your disciples with heavy weapons to kill me, and now you want me to return the items after just a few words? Where do you get the audacity?"

But the other party was extremely thick-skinned and showed no emotion whatsoever, only casually tossing out a remark:
"Fellow Daoist, this is our prized treasure that we've refined over many years. Aren't you afraid of burning your hands holding it?"

Their meaning is clear: it's only natural that your younger generation can't beat you with external things; but these treasures were refined by our own hands, and you still dare to hold onto them in front of us. Have you forgotten who the real owner is?
Faced with this blatant (but unspoken) threat, Du Yuan remained completely unconcerned, merely pointing to the Questioning Fist Mountain that had landed in the small world, and chuckled:

"Since that's what you think, why not let you try? Didn't you say you refined these yourself? Why not try and see if you can take them back from me?"

The atmosphere in the small space instantly became heavy. Although the owners of several gazes did not appear in front of Du Yuan, Du Yuan could clearly sense the barely concealed anger, followed by several sneers:

"Very well! Since you are so arrogant, fellow Daoist, then today I will have to teach you how to write the four words 'Do not be arrogant'!"

Du Yuan shook her head slightly, returning the words verbatim: "I'll return those words to you exactly as they were. Don't be arrogant, or you'll embarrass yourselves later!"

Without further ado, the various factions launched their attacks remotely—wanting to reclaim their own valuable weapons and, incidentally, teach this arrogant fellow a lesson. The first to act was naturally the barbarian monkey.

It wanted to retrieve the Fist-Questioning Mountain where it had attained enlightenment years ago, and also take away the corpses of its offspring that were buried under the mountain.

But as soon as it touched the mountain wall, it was suddenly shocked to realize that the Wenquan Mountain, which used to be as light as a feather to it, was now heavier than a thousand pounds!
In a daze, it even felt that this was not the mountain it was familiar with, but rather as unshakable as the Zhou Mountain that it had glimpsed in the void that day!

But having already made a move, how could he back down so easily? The savage monkey immediately exerted its strength, and a pair of hairy giant hands reached out from the void, clamping the mountain on the left and right. With a sudden burst of strength, it actually managed to lift the mountain a little!
But in that instant, the monkey suddenly let go in horror, letting the mountain crash down, smashing his child's corpse into an even more bloody and gruesome mess.

"What kind of supernatural power is this?! It's incredibly vicious!"

Before it touched it, it felt as if the mountain was heavier than a thousand pounds; but once it was in its grasp, it suddenly felt incredibly light.

But as soon as he lifted it up, he was suddenly shocked to realize that what he was lifting was not the Mountain of Questioning Fists at all, but the foundation of his own Great Dao!
If you really try to lift it up, you'll be destroying your own Great Wall, and your cultivation will definitely be ruined!

Given this, it dared not gamble and could only hastily let go.

Du Yuan did not answer, but stood there indifferently, holding the chessboard in one hand and her sword in the other, her expression unchanged.

Seeing that the monkey had already retreated, the old man's heart became extremely heavy.

He took a deep breath, rose from the divine source he used to heal his injuries, then formed countless intricate hand seals with his hands, and finally shouted, thrusting and hooking forward, trying to pull back the Flying Flower River that he had personally refined.

But he was even worse than the wild monkey—at least the wild monkey managed to lift himself up for a moment, but as soon as he got his hands on it, he was shocked to realize that what he had hooked was not the Flying Flower River at all, but the entire world's water transport!

This is something that even the most powerful figures of the three religions and the most learned philosophers would be extremely cautious about. How could a mere cultivator on a mountain dare to confront it head-on?

The old man immediately panicked and let go, then shouted:

"You are."

But as soon as he uttered the word "you are," he suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something, and then changed his words, his tone complicated: "Well done!"

In the end, the woman was completely unaware of anything amiss, and kept thinking intently.

The glass artifact she truly relied on was almost completely shattered. If she didn't retrieve this innate magic treasure, her Su'e Palace would truly have nothing left to suppress its fortune.

For a short time, she can manage on her own; but in the long run, she might end up like Hanqiu Palace, with only a mediocre palace master holding things together.

Thinking of this, she finally made her move, intending to retrieve her own magical treasure.

This time, without the support of the cat and his friend Shanshui Eryin, Du Yuan truly felt an immense pressure.

This also confirmed to him that their cultivation levels were roughly equal.
No, that's not right. They are stronger. Considering the significant difference in combat experience between the two sides, they are probably much more skilled than my Confucianists now.

But, we've come this far, how can we afford to lose face?
So, just as the chessboard in his hand was about to fly away...

Du Yuan suddenly thought to herself, "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable!"
In an instant, thousands of transparent threads snapped.

The woman also vomited blood and staggered back several steps before regaining her balance.

She had almost thought this person was nothing special, but just as he was about to succeed, he struck like a thunderbolt!
Seeing this, Du Yuan silently recited a classic sage's saying, thus reverting to her Confucian identity.

At the same time, Du Yuan also confirmed another thing through this brief exchange—just as he had initially predicted, none of these people's current cultivation levels could cause him to lose his balance.
This is a good thing, but also not a good thing.

This means that, under normal circumstances, he doesn't need to worry about losing his balance at all.

But this also means that it will be difficult for him to catch up with Confucianism and be on par with the other two schools.

after all
'Where am I supposed to find someone as good a con artist as the two of them?'

Thinking of this, Du Yuan couldn't help but look up at the sky.

The Palace Mistress of Su'e Palace also reacted and scolded the two beside her:

"You know he's the one who injured us that night?!"

At this point, both the wild monkey and the old man remained silent.

If we don't jump in together and suffer a loss, how can we advance and retreat together?

But this person is really troublesome!
After understanding what the two were thinking, the Palace Mistress of Su'e Palace, her chest heaving for a long time, managed to suppress her fury.

Then the three of them looked at Du Yuan, their minds hesitant.

Should we take advantage of the fact that our own magical weapons are still present and join forces to try our luck? Or should we back down for now?
Each approach has its merits and drawbacks, making it difficult to decide in a short period of time.

Just then, the three of them sensed that two more people had joined them!
This sudden turn of events immediately prompted them to make a decision—to take action!
Three people need to hesitate, but five people are absolutely out of the question!

What's more, among them is Prince Su, who suffered the vendetta of having his daughter killed!
Du Yuan was well aware of such a turn of events.

It could be said that Du Yuan was waiting for this moment, and she immediately smiled, then put away the chessboard and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

We're just waiting for this opportunity to hone our skills against them!
Before he could come up with a powerful and imposing line that could intimidate everyone, the five people who noticed his action said in unison:
"Since you are so powerful, we admit defeat today! But this matter will not end here. Let's settle things properly in the future!"

After saying that, they all disappeared, leaving only Du Yuan, who was preparing to use them to sharpen his sword, standing there at a loss.

"Wait, weren't you just about to fight fiercely? Why did you run away the moment I was about to draw my sword?"
-
Meanwhile, the five people who had just abandoned their pieces and retreated took the opportunity to have a brief exchange.

"Why not fight?"

It was Prince Su who spoke—the hatred for the murder of his daughter was irreconcilable to him, and his tone was full of barely suppressed rage, clearly showing his deep resentment at the decision to temporarily withdraw.

"His extravagant purchase of the Sword Cleansing Stone must be for the sword at his waist. But just now, he clearly sensed that we were about to attack him together, yet he..."

An aged voice spoke first, but then paused, filled with lingering apprehension. Clearly, Du Yuan's reaction had left him with lingering doubts.

The monkey immediately picked up the conversation:

"But he just waited for us to make a move! He showed no sign of being on guard or backing down!"

The Palace Mistress of Su'e Palace also spoke, her tone even more solemn than the other two:
"There are only two possibilities for his actions—either his cultivation is so high that he is completely unafraid of our combined attack, or the sword at his waist is a weapon specifically prepared to deal with this situation!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a dense buzzing of insects erupted. Although the swarm didn't utter clear human language, the meaning conveyed was perfectly clear to everyone present:

"Of the five of us, who can identify the origin of that sword? None! Not a single one! If we could truly recognize it, we would either have revealed its secrets long ago, or we would have turned and run away in fear!"

"Therefore, there are only two possibilities for that sword: either it is an unknown piece of scrap metal, or it is an ancient weapon whose details are unknown even to the five of us!"

"How could such a powerful cultivator carry a piece of scrap metal as his sword? Nor would he be willing to exchange the Wine of the God of Dawn for a sword-cleansing stone for such a piece of scrap metal, and rely on it so much!"

"In that case, we absolutely cannot act rashly. We must retreat first and at least find out the origin of that sword before we can make any further plans!"

He might have just happened to bring a sword, and wasn't a true swordsman. But the fact that he was willing to use the Dawn God's Wine to clean the sword stone for this sword suggests that he is most likely a true swordsman!
As a sword cultivator, how could you rush in and risk your life without even knowing the origin of the opponent's natal immortal sword?

Finally, someone added a remarkably insightful comment:
"The people on the mountain either fight each other to the death without any regard for the consequences, or they plan carefully and find out the details before making a move. Today is clearly not the time for the former."

(End of this chapter)